TOW The First Date
by RMBlythe
Summary: Chandler and Monica's oldest daughter, Erica, is about to go on her first date. He's older. He has a car. He's the most popular guy in school. Erica is thrilled. Chandler's panicking. Join me, won't you?
1. Chapter 1

_**So I've discovered that this is perhaps the most loyal fandom out there! I got so much positive feedback from my other story, TOW All the Love, I decided to try my hand at writing another Friends fic. This is basically Mondler, but focuses more on their daughter Erica. I hope you enjoy, my friends ;) Let me know what you think!**_

T.O.W The First Date

"You'll have to ask you father," Chandler heard Monica say as the garage door slammed. Chandler turned to look at Joey who raised his dark Italian eyebrows in a questioning look. Chandler just shrugged. His son Jack soon entered the living room followed by his daughters Erica, and Kaitlyn, and his wife.

"Good luck Dad," Jack smirked, racing up the stairs, and presumably out of firing range. Uh oh.

"Daddy," Erica squealed, bounding over to him and plopping herself down beside him on the couch.

"Hey Princess," Chandler grinned, a bit surprised by the affection his teenage daughter was showing, but accepting it nonetheless.

"Erica Roxanne Bing," Monica scolded, "don't you dare manipulate your father like that. Tell him what you told me."

Kaitlyn giggled, always finding it somewhat amusing when either of her older siblings got into trouble. Erica huffed and sat up a bit straighter, facing her father.

"Hey Joe, come help me in the kitchen," Monica motioned as she led ten year old Kaitlyn into the kitchen, wanting Erica and Chandler to have their privacy.

"I'm good Mon," Joey waved, obviously interested in what was going down between his best friend and his daughter.

"I'm making cookies," she called.

Joey jumped up from his seat and made a beeline for the kitchen. "Good luck, Chan."

Chandler sighed and shook his head before turning his attention to his oldest daughter. "Ok what's goin' on, Princess?"

"Well," Erica sighed, her gaze cast down to the couch cushions as she spoke quickly, "there's this guy and he wants to take me out to a movie on Saturday and I really want to go so can I?"

Silence.

"Dad?" she asked, looking up to see Chandler with a stunned expression on his face. She was half afraid she'd given him a stroke or something. "Daddy?"

"Um," Chandler muttered, shaking himself and forcing words out of his mouth, "who is this boy?"

"Marcus Anderson."

"A-and do I know Marcus?" he asked, still trying to wrap his head around the idea of his baby girl _dating_.

"Not exactly," she whispered. "He's older."

Chandler felt his heart do a back flip. An _older_ boy. He stood up and began to pace. "How much older, Erica?" She rattled off a number so quietly, Chandler didn't hear her. "What?"

Another huffy sigh. "Three years, ok? He's a senior, Dad."

"A senior?" Chandler choked. "Erica, you are 15 years old!"

Jumping up from the couch, Erica cried, "I knew you'd freak out about this! What's the big deal?"

"It's not just one big deal, ok?" Chandler explained, fighting the urge to flat out say no. But that's what he wanted to do. Actually, he wanted to lock her up in a nunnery but didn't figure that would go over too well. "It's a lot of little deals that make up one _huge_ deal!"

"What, don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, it's him I don't trust," he said, running his fingers through his crop of brown hair Phoebe had just recently cut for him.

"Dad, he's like, the most popular guy in school!"

Sometimes he wondered if his daughter spent too much time with Rachel. Chandler scoffed, "Yeah, 'cause that makes me feel _so much_ better."

Erica groaned. "You just don't get it!" she snapped, turning to leave and go up to her room.

"Erica, wait," he sighed. She turned to look back at him, eyes blazing. She most definitely had her mother's temper. "I do get it. It's just that... you're my little girl."

"I'm not so little anymore, Daddy," she said softly, the fire in her eyes fading as quickly as it had come.

"I know, Princess," he said with a wistful smile. "Your mom and I will talk about this... this..."

"Date?" she giggled.

Chandler shuddered. "Yeah, that. We'll talk about it and let you know what we decide, ok?"

Talk about it. A phrase no child likes to hear. Chandler saw her face fall, and he put a finger beneath her chin and tilted her head up to look him in the eye. "That doesn't mean yes, and it doesn't mean no, ok?"

She sighed. Honestly, she couldn't really say she was surprised about this. Her parents hardly ever decided on anything without the other's opinion, unless absolutely necessary. "Ok."

He kissed her on the head before watching her dart up the stairs. With a heavy sigh, he headed into the kitchen where Joey was beating the chocolate chips Kaitlyn was adding into the cookie dough.

"A date?" Chandler groaned rather pathetically.

"A date?" Joey asked, brow furrowed in confusion. "Who has a date?"

"Erica does," Kaitlyn informed him with a smug smile.

"What?" her uncle cried, looking to Chandler and Monica with a panicked expression. "No! She's too young. She can't."

Monica smirked as she slid the pan of cookies into the oven. "We knew it would happen someday."

"See, now when you say, _someday_," Chandler said, "I think_ someday_ after her 30th birthday."

Joey snapped and pointed to Chandler, "Oh, I like that plan!"

"So what, we just keep her locked in her room until then?" Monica asked, hands on her hips as she stared down the two men in her kitchen. Kaitlyn turned towards them too, a perfect miniature of her mother's expression.

"Maybe," Chandler shrugged.

"Anything to keep those boys away from her. I know what goes on inside their heads," Joey said, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter. "I was a teenage boy once. Think about _that_!"

Chandler groaned and buried his face in his hands. Monica rolled her eyes and sighed. "Here sweetie," she said, handing a plate of still warm cookies to her daughter, "why don't you take these with you to Uncle Joey's to share with Isabella and Liliana?"

Kaitlyn grinned. She loved playing with Joey's two oldest daughters, Bella and Lily. She took the cookies and began to march out the door. "C'mon Uncle Joey!"

Joey eyed Monica suspiciously as he followed his niece. "This isn't over, Gellar."

She just shook her head at the two of them before turning back to her husband. "Chandler, it's just a date."

"With an _older boy_, Mon," he groaned.

"So? Richard was older than me."

"Huh," Chandler said, "y'know, somehow that's not making me feel better about this."

Monica sighed and crossed the kitchen, wrapping her arms around him. He smiled a bit and wrapped his arms around her too. "Our baby's growing up. It's just something we're going to have to accept. We've raised a good girl, now we have to trust her to do the right thing."

"It's not her I don't trust."

He honked. The fool honked his horn when he came to pick Erica up for their date. Chandler was about to go out there and tell him that if he didn't think his daughter was worth coming to the door for, than he could just go to the movies by himself, but Erica came bounding down the stairs, kissed him on the cheek with a "Bye Dad!" and was out the door before he had the chance.

"Home by ten!" he shouted after her. She gave him a thumbs up before sliding into the passenger seat of Marcus' car. The tires squealed as he drove away. As Chandler stared down the street, Kaitlyn came to stand beside him. "You don't have a date tonight, do you?" he asked her.

Kaitlyn made a face. "No!" she squealed. "Boys are icky."

Chandler smiled. "Is Jack icky?"

"Yes."

"Am I icky?" he asked, pretending to pout.

Kaitlyn giggled. "No! But you're not a boy. You're Daddy. Daddies don't count."

"And that's why you're my favorite," Chandler teased, scooping up his daughter and carrying her back into the house. "Wanna watch a movie?"

"Tinkerbelle!" she cried happily. Chandler smiled. If only they would stay like this forever.


	2. Chapter 2

**_It's true what they say, reviews make you want to update faster! I love writing Friends fics and I love the loyal Friends fans that read them. Seriously, this was the best show ever! Here's chapter 2!_**

T.O.W The First Date 

Part 2

"So," Erica said, trying to stay cool, "what movie do you want to see?"

"Yeah, about that," Marcus said, "there's this awesome party at my friend's house tonight. I was thinkin' we'd go check that out instead. You in?"

"Will their parents be home?"

Marcus laughed. "That's a good one. You're cute."

Erica's heart fluttered in her chest. He thought she was cute? But wait, her parents would freak if they knew she was going to a party with no adults there. But it was a high school party. All the cool people would be there. It would be so lame for her not to go. She was in high school now too, after all. High schoolers went to parties like this all the time, right? Besides, Marcus Anderson had just called her cute! _Marcus Anderson! _She flipped her light brown hair back over her shoulder like she'd seen some girls do and flashed him a smile. "Let's go."

Erica had never seen so many people in one place. Music was blaring so loud, she could barely hear Marcus when he said he would go get them some drinks. He disappeared into the crowd, and she cautiously backed up against the wall so as not to get lost in the sea of people. She wrinkled her nose. It smelled weird in this house. Like, nauseatingly sweet. She scanned the crowd as she waited for Marcus. She didn't see anyone she knew. Everyone was taller than her, and some of the guys who passed her even had facial hair! They all looked so old! A couple slammed against the wall, making out more fiercely than she ever thought possible. How did they breathe?

"Hey," Marcus shouted, startling her a bit. He smiled and handed her a beer, popping the top off for her. She stared at it. "S'matter?" he asked with a frown. "Ain't you ever had one before?"

She shook her head. Marcus smiled. "Well here," he said, placing it in her hand. "Allow me to do the honor of giving you your first beer. Cheers." He clinked the necks of their bottles together and downed half of his. Erica hesitated for a moment. Her parents always told her not to drink. But what could it hurt? It's not like she was driving, and she wouldn't drink enough to make herself sick. Just one would be fine. They'd never have to know anyways. She brought the bottle to her mouth, hoping it would taste better than it smelled. It didn't. It was really bitter and almost made her gag. She looked over at Marcus who was working on draining the last of his. How in the world did he do it? Did he actually like the taste? Well, Erica most certainly didn't, and she was not going to force herself to drink the rest. While her date finished his off, she dumped the rest of hers into a nearby potted plant. When Marcus looked back at her, he smirked. "Alright. I like a girl that can drink as much as me. Hot."

This time, Erica didn't really feel that fluttering sensation when he called her hot. Why would drinking a lot make her attractive? It didn't make sense. She was happy when he suggested they go and dance. That was something she could have fun with.

Or so she thought. This was not the kind of dancing she was used to. Marcus stood behind her and moved against her body in a way that made her feel extremely uncomfortable. But she convinced herself that it was something you had to get used to. Then his hands slid around her waist, holding her tighter against him (though she hadn't thought that was possible) and moved his hands down to where he was grabbing her hips. Really low on her hips. That combined with the way he began to kiss her neck was just too much for Erica to take. "Um, I'll be right back," she said, wrestling free of Marcus' grasp. "I have to go to the bathroom."

She hurried away before he could even answer her. Luckily, she was actually able to find the bathroom, and luckily, it wasn't occupied. Locking the door behind her, she finally gave into her shaking knees and slid to the floor. This was not how tonight was supposed to go. She just wanted to go home, but something told her Marcus wouldn't take her if she asked him. But if she called her parents, she'd be in big trouble. What was she going to do?

"Joey," Chandler's frantic voice came through the phone.

"Chandler?" Joey frowned, concerned by his friend's tone.

"Erica was supposed to be home half an hour ago," he explained, sounding as though he would begin shouting or crying at any minute, "and she won't answer her phone. I'm going to go find her..."

"I'm in," Joey said before Chandler could even ask.

"Thanks, buddy. Jack's staying here with Kaitlyn, and Ross already went to go check the theater. Monica and I are going to go look around downtown, and you..."

"I'll go to the park. That's where I always took my dates in high school."

"Ok, thanks man," Chandler said as he and Monica jumped in their car. Dear God, he hoped they weren't at the park. Thinking of his daughter dating a teenage Joey was not what he needed right now.


	3. Chapter 3

**_So here's the last chapter! Finally! I know it took me awhile guys, and I'm sooo sorry! I had it finished, but decided I hated the last chapter and had to give you guys something better. The best fandom deserves nothing but the best! Hope y'all enjoy!_**

Chapter 3

Taking out her phone, Erica called the first person she could think of. It only took a couple of rings for him to answer. "Hello?" a deep voice said on the other end of the line.

Erica's eyes welled up with tears of relief at the sound of his voice. "Ben?" she sniffed.

"Erica? What's wrong?" he asked, trying not to panic at the sound of his cousin crying.

"Can... can you c-come and g-get me?" she asked, trying desperately not to break down completely right there in the bathroom.

"Of course. Where are you?" he asked, already grabbing his keys.

"Um... I don't know. I-it's a r-really big h-house. Um, I think, I think it's outside of t-town..."

"Ok, ok," he said softly, "don't worry about it. I'll find you. I'll be right there."

"Ok. Thanks, Ben."

"Any time, kid," he said. Flooring the gas, he raced down the road. He knew she was on a date with a guy named Marcus. And although he didn't know where she was, he had at least a general location. He'd find her. He and his cousins had always been close. If Erica needed him, he sure as hell was not going to let her down. And if that idiot Marcus had made her cry, he'd better run. Fast.

"Hey babe," Marcus called as he made his way down to where Erica sat on the curb waiting for Ben to pick her up. "What're you doin' out here?"

"Oh um, I just needed to get some fresh air," Erica lied quickly.

"Well come back inside," he said, pulling her up to her feet.

"N-no thanks," she said, moving away from him. "I'm actually not feeling well. I'm gonna go home. Thanks for tonight though."

"Hey, it's still early," he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her so close, she could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Come back inside."

He reached out to stroke her cheek. She tried to turn her head, but he held her still and kissed her. He kissed her so hard it almost hurt. She suddenly remembered a story she once heard her Aunt Phoebe tell about her life on the streets. So, as hard as she could, Erica raised the small (but effective) heel of her boot and slammed it down on Marcus' foot. He let go automatically, but not long enough for her to get away. He grabbed her arm again. "Let me go," she ordered.

"This date is over when I say it's over," he snapped.

"Wrong," a voice practically growled from behind him. "It's over right now."

Erica looked over Marcus' shoulder to see Ben coming towards them, a frightening look on his face. She smiled. "I believe she asked you to let her go," Ben said, looking as threatening as he sounded.

Marcus locked eyes with Ben, letting go of Erica's arm. But then he swung his fist, hitting Ben square in the jaw. Although Ben wasn't one much for violence, having two moms had often subjected him to some pretty severe bullying as a kid. He had learned how to fight out of necessity. And when necessary, he could throw a pretty good punch. So after spitting some blood out of his mouth, he turned and hit Marcus so hard, the kid went down. And he stayed down. "Oh my God," Erica gasped.

"Are you ok?" Ben asked her, wrapping her in a tight embrace. She nodded, and he could feel her tears soaking through his t-shirt. "Let's get you home."

One arm wrapped tightly around Erica's shoulders, Ben led her to his car. She was completely quiet as he drove, simply staring out the window, watching trees and houses fly by. Ben couldn't decide if her silence was a blessing or a curse. Emma never stopped talking it seemed, and, much as he loved his little sister, sometimes he longed for just one moment's peace. But now he'd give anything for Erica to say something, anything, just so he'd know she was alright. He cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly, and asked, "You doin' ok?"

She nodded.

"You wanna talk about it?"

She stayed quiet for a while, and Ben assumed he wasn't going to get anything out of her, until he finally heard her say softly, "I feel dumb."

"You shouldn't."

"Oh yeah? He asked me to go to the party and I said yes. It's not like he made me. I chose to go. But, oh Ben! It was so... awful! Mom and Dad are gonna kill me. I'm so dumb."

"Hey," Ben said, feigning offense, "that's my cousin you're talking about." Though there were tears in her eyes, he was happy to see her almost crack a smile. At least one corner of her mouth turned up anyway. He reached out an squeezed her knee comfortingly. "You're not dumb. You know how I know that?"

"How?"

"Because I know you. You've got a good head on your shoulders, and you're a lot more mature than most girls your age. A lot more so than Emma was, anyway," he said, then cringed slightly. "Don't tell her I said that."

Now a small smile did appear on Erica's face.

"You didn't do anything wrong by dating Marcus, or by going to that party," he continued. "You didn't know it would be like that, did you?" Emma shook her head. "And while you were there, did you, uh... do anything you... didn't like?" he asked, forcing the question out of his mouth and praying to God she'd say no.

"Well, Mom and Dad always told me not to drink alcohol, but I took a sip of beer anyway. I didn't like it though, so I poured it out in a plant."

Ben couldn't help but laugh a bit in relief. "See?" he smiled at her. "You're not dumb. And you called me when you wanted to go home, instead of staying somewhere you were uncomfortable. I'm glad you did too. You can always call me, and I'll always come, alright?" Erica nodded, visibly a bit more relaxed than she had been when she first got in the car. "And I'll tell you the same thing I told Emma," he said sternly. "Any jerk that ever tries to lay a hand on you, you just let me know and I'll take care of them, okay?"

"Okay," Erica smiled as they pulled up to the Bing's house. "Thanks, Ben."

"Any time, kid," he smiled back at her. "And, hey, don't worry about your mom and dad either. They might be a little mad, but they know you're a smart girl. Yeah, you wound up in a bad situation, but you handled it well. Everything'll be okay."

Erica nodded as they walked up on the lit front porch. Jack met them at the door, wrapping his sister in a tight hug. "Erica, why don't you go change into pajama's or something? I'll call your mom and dad and let them know you're home."

"Chandler, we've looked everywhere!" Monica cried from the passenger side of the car. "What if she's hurt? What if we can't find her?"

"We'll find her," Chandler said, his eyes focused on the road. He knew if he saw Monica's panicked expression, he would lose it too. And one of them had to keep their heads. Because they would find her. There were no "what if's".

They were both quiet for a moment, lost in their own worlds, until Monica said, "You were right. She's too young to date, and he is too old for her. I should have listened to you. If I had we wouldn't be here right now."

Taking one hand off the wheel, Chandler reached over to rest his hand on her leg. Monica grasped it in hers and held onto it like a lifeline. "Mon, don't do that to yourself," he sighed wearily. "There was no way either of us could know this was going to happen."

"I know, but... Chandler, she's my little girl," she sniffed, tears filling her eyes, not for the first time that night. "I waited such a long time to be a mommy, and when we finally got the twins I promised I wouldn't ever let anything happen to them, and now..."

Chandler kissed her hand, unable to speak past the sob in his throat.

"I'm calling the police," Monica said suddenly, reaching for her phone. Just as she did though, it started ringing with Ben's name and picture lighting up the screen. She quickly answered it. "Ben? Look, sweetie, I can't talk right now. Erica is... she what?" Monica practically shrieked. Chandler's heart hammered in his chest as he waited for her to tell him the news, praying to God that whatever it was was good. "Ok, yes we'll be right there! Thank you! Tell her we love her! Ok, bye."

"Well?" Chandler asked anxiously.

"He found her. She's home."

Chandler breathed a sigh of relief as a giant weight lifted off his chest. "Oh thank God."

The garage door slammed and Ben heard his aunt call for him. "In here," he answered. Monica and Chandler all but ran into the living room. "She's ok," Ben smiled, looking to where Erica had fallen asleep on the couch. Jack had fallen asleep in his father's lounger.

Monica raced over to her daughter, kissing her cheek and smoothing back her hair. For the moment, Chandler was just content to watch. Ben came to stand beside him. "Thank you," Chandler whispered. Ben just nodded. "Where was she?"

"A party just outside of town. One of those new, really big houses," Ben told him. "Don't worry about that Marcus guy. I took care of him."

Chandler smirked, noticing his nephew's busted lip. "I can see that. Thanks, Ben."

"Anytime," Ben nodded. "That's what family's for."

"The guest room's made up. Why don't you stay here tonight?" Chandler suggested.

"I will, thanks. Goodnight, Uncle Chandler," he smiled as the two of them embraced, and he ruffled Jack's hair on the way out.

Chandler finally approached his sleeping daughter, kneeling down beside Monica . He kissed Erica's head and put an arm around his wife. "She's still our little girl," Monica sighed, resting her head on his shoulder.

Chandler smiled. "And she always will be."


End file.
